San Francisco Homelessness in the Media 2009
Homelessness in San Francisco came under increased media attention in mid-2007, especially through an ongoing series in The Chronicle. This page will provide links and summaries of those stories, as well as other sources, in order to give SFHomeless.net users an overview and ready access. This page is meant as a resource. Please do not use summaries as a place to voice opinions or make judgments. Please feel free to add links to stories that deal specifically with SF Homelessness published since Summer 2007. Thank you. 6/10/09 - Web Newswire - Business Desk "Google Volunteers Connect to the Tenderloin" Summary: Tommorrow, June 11th, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Google employees will be teach classes and do one-on-one tutoring with homeless and economically challenged participants at the Tenderloin Tech Lab, a collaboration between St. Anthony Foundation and Network Ministries. 6/10/09 - LBPost.com - Ryan ZumMallen "Speaking His Mind: An Interview With Mayor Gavin Newsom" Summary: Interviewed in his commanding Los Angeles gubernatorial campaign office, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom puts a positive spin on issues he has focused on. He mentions that he is proud of expanding housing for the homeless. 6/8/09 - The Public Press - Kristina Shevory "Perfect storm of bad economic news led to San Francisco's budget scramble" Summary: Continued coverage of San Francisco's planned budget cuts which will affect services to the poor and homeless. A helpful graphic of departmental proposed cuts is included. 6/8/09 - The Public Press - Christopher Cook "The San Francisco budget: a user's guide" Summary: "Quick-and-dirty user's guide to the budget process" describes key players in the fight for taxpayer dollars. Jennifer Friedenbach, director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Jackie Jenks, director of the Central City Hospitality House are identified as key players fighting on behalf of the homeless. 6/8/09 - Ashville Citizen-Times - Leslie Boyd "Activist priest to speak in Asheville" Summary: San Francisco peace activist and priest, Fr. Louis Vitale of St. Boniface Church, will speak in Ashville, North Carolina on the topic: "“Love Your Enemies: Transforming Us vs. Them Thinking.” He is currently on a three month speaking tour. 6/8/09 - MLB.com - Jesse Sanchez "Three Giants fans up for All-Star honor: Finalists helps students, animals, homeless children" Summary: The founder of Project Night Night which comforts homeless children in San Francisco, Kendra Robins, is a finalist for an award to be announced at Major League Baseball's All-Star game this year. 6/8/09 - BeyondChron.org - Tommi Avicolli-Mecca "Homeless Moving On Up in Brooklyn" Summary: San Francisco essayist notices outside-the-box thinking that turned a luxury condo development into a homeless shelter. 6/8/09 - BeyondChron.org - Randy Shaw "Lembi, Kaussen, Ben-Simon: How Banks Wreak Havoc on Tenants" With colorful anecdotes, Shaw argues that activists should target lenders before landlords when San Francisco tenants are displaced. 6/8/09 - BeyondChron.org - Paul Hogarth "Where to Start Cutting in the Mayor’s Budget" Summary: While Mayor Newsom's proposed budget is exacerbating partisan conflict, Hogarth points out costly redundancies in city services (like the 311 Call Center) that need better examining. Hogarth fears a growth in evictions and the loss of services for SRO residents. 6/09 - Affordable Housing Finance - Donna Kimura "The View from City Hall" Summary: According to a survey of 23 big-city mayors (including San Francisco's), high housing costs, low-paying jobs, and foreclosures are driving demand for affordable housing. Twenty-one of the 23 cities have 10-year plans to end homelessness. 6/6/09 - San Francisco Chronicle - Marisa Lagos "Group distributes socks, sweets to homeless" Summary: Facebook friends link up to help the homeless in San Francisco. 6/5/09 - SFWeekly.com - Joe Eskenazi "Has Gavin Newsom Found a New Bright Idea (Hatched By Someone Else)?" Summary: At next week's U.S. Conference of Mayors, Mayor Gavin Newsom is expected to promote a pioneer Bank on San Francisco Program, which helps the poor and homeless bypass predatory check-cashing outlets. 6/5/09 - Los Angeles Times - Patrick J. McDonnell "Jack Henning dies at 93; California labor leader" Summary: Obituary of legendary labor leader quotes him saying in his 1996 farewell address to the California Labor Federation: "...see what capital has done to the poor... see the homeless, beggars at the table of wealth.... Let the defenders of the established order live with that moral outrage." 6/5/09 - Fog City Journal - Jeff Adachi "Crime, Coercion and the CJC" Summary: Essay by San Francisco Public Defender takes a look at the Community Justice Center (CJC) and strategies to achieve justice more effectively, particularly when dealing with persons, such as the homeless, who have restricted options or little stake in the community. 6/4/09 - BeyondChron.com - Paul Hogarth "Newsom Budget Did Not Count SEIU Agreement" Summary: SEIU 1021 members have approved a new contract that gives the city wiggle room to seek new revenues and restore some non-profit services. 6/4/09 - Switched.com - Kendra Cunningham "Homeless Folks Getting Reconnected Through Facebook, Twitter" Summary: Short article explores what seemed an unlikely media market niche: the homeless. Interesting links included. 6/4/09 - San Jose Mercury News (AP) - Josh Funk "Warren Buffett lunch auction begins in late June" Summary: Bids to win lunch with billionaire start at $25,000. The proceeds will go to Glide which provides meals and services to San Francisco homeless. A Chinese investment fund manager bid $2.1 million last year. 6/4/09 - San Jose Mercury News - Judy Lin "In states, stimulus aid favors social programs" Summary: According to this story, two-thirds of federal stimulus money to states will go toward health care, existing jobs, and social programs (some helping the homeless)-- not "shovel-ready" job-creating projects. Democrats say they are responding to concerns like those of Republican Sen. Nunnelee of Mississippi who wants to see more money spent on public works. 6/4/09 - Lafourche Parish DailyComet - Naomi King "Houma native dies after California purse snatching" Summary: Louisiana native, Helen Canafax, who befriended homeless and volunteered for St. Anthony's Foundation and Glide died yesterday of complications. She had been injured when her purse was snatched in San Francisco in April. 6/4/09 - San Francisco Chronicle - C.W. Nevius "Bureaucrat scuffs dream of homeless shoe shiner" Summary: A homeless shoeshine man's heroic self-help gets stalled by city bureaucracy. 6/3/09 - Newswise - "California’s Budget Problems Could Send Homeless Rates Soaring" Summary: Judith Klain, Executive Director of Project Homeless Connect predicts a big turnout of homeless seeking services at PHC's next event planned for Friday, June 5th at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. 6/3/09 - Cincinatti CityBeat - Feoshia Henderson "Safe at Home: City, County ponder giving homes to the homeless" Summary: Following recommendations of an advisory group, Cincinnati city officials plan to move toward a "Housing First" plan to help its homeless. Like other cities with similar policies, including San Francisco, the goal is for agencies to "provide housing quickly, then assist with other services — like substance abuse treatment or job training — as needed." 6/3/09 - Business Wire - Press Release " Homeless Mom to Entrepreneurial Photographer" Summary: Woman who was homeless 20 years ago in Marin County achieved success with a photography business, "Mugshots", and will give advice about how to take advantage of new loan opportunities promised by President Obama's stimulus bill. 6/2/09 - ABC7 News - Vic Lee "CA seniors vulnerable to more cuts" Summary: 40,000 elderly and disabled Medi-Cal recipients can be thrown out of adult day care centers if state budget cuts are implemented. Many will likely become homeless. Video. 6/2/09 - Public Press - Kevin Stark "Homeless counseling group first on Health Dept. chopping block" Summary: Article explores how and why Caduceus Outreach Services, a SOMA neighborhood nonprofit which counsels homeless persons, could close July 1 due to the city's unprecedented budget crisis. Video interview of Caduceus executive director Marykate Connor included. 6/2/09 - San Francisco Chronicle - Heather Knight "S.F. budget cuts 1,600 jobs, trims services" Summary: Mayor Gavin Newsom's newly released city budget proposal strains credulity of San Franciscans affected by jobs and services slashed. Mayor Newsom confides however that he wants to save some services and will add them back by the end of June if the supervisors do not. Story includes photos of the Central City Hospitality House Self-help Center which lost funding in the mayor's budget and faces being closed. 6/2/09 - BeyondChron.org - Paul Hogarth "Newsom Budget Figures Don’t Add Up" Summary: Analysis of Newsom's budget proposal and statements about it suggests the mayor does not understand or endorse its conclusions, does not understand the will of the voters, and lacks the leadership to fight planned State budget cuts. Hogarth reports: "In a bizarre (almost Orwellian) moment, Newsom lamented some of his cuts ones that affect the homeless– and said he hoped the Board of Supervisors would reverse them." 6/1/09 - San Francisco Chronicle - Heather Knight "S.F.'s budget casualties barely beginning" Summary: Expecting their release today, the Chronicle gives more detail about San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom's sweeping budget cuts, many of which will affect the homeless. Two tidbits: Michael Katz, the director of San Francisco's Public Health resents "the pushback" from advocates (assumably like Jennifer Friedenbach of the Coalition on Homelessness) as if the budget cuts are a crime. Also, the City Board of Supervisors still have about a month to make changes. 6/1/09 - KCBS Podcast - Bob Melrose "SF Budget To Be Released Monday" Summary: KCBS news broadcast reports Mayor Newsom is angry over the reduction of "pork" to cities and counties from Sacramento which forces San Francisco to make cuts to services including services to the homeless. (MP3) 5/30/09 - KCRA 3 Sacramento "Hundreds Show Up For Homeless Connect Event" Summary: Video and story of how more than 700 homeless people line up in Sacramento to get help from an event modeled on San Francisco's Homeless Connect. 5/30/09 - San Francisco Chronicle Meredith May "Dinner With Grace brings SRO residents together" Summary: The traditional soup line is bypassed by a charitable program that brings dinners directly to formerly homeless SRO residents once a month. 5/30/09 - Wall Street Journal Phred Dvorak "On the Street and On Facebook: The Homeless Stay Wired" Summary: Vignettes of homeless San Franciscans who consider internet access a necessity. 5/29/09 - EarthTimes.org Larkin Street Youth Services Press Release "Bay Area Financial Leaders Honor 2009 CFO of the Year Award Winners and Finalists" Summary: Larkin Street Youth Services, which has served homeless and at-risk youth in San Francisco for 25 years, raises over $360,000 in support at an event honoring Bay Area CFOs. 5/28/09 - San Francisco Chronicle C.W. Nevius "Plan would pay residents in Care Not Cash housing" Summary: As Mayor Newsom's program to move San Francisco's homeless from the streets to housing marks its fifth year, an idea surfaces to reward some Care Not Cash recipients with... cash. 5/27/09 - BeyondChron.org - Randy Shaw "In Gavin Newsom’s San Francisco, Even the Appeal Process is Rigged" Summary: City Supervisor David Campos has announced he will call for a public hearing about the Request For Proposal / Request For Qualification process that affects buildings for formerly homeless persons. Shaw says the current process under Mayor Newsom's watch encourages waste and cronyism. 5/26/09 - UC Berkeley News - Barry Bergman " A sunny day for graduates — and the many who helped them" Summary: Chris Gardner whose homelessness was dramatized in the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness gave the keynote address at UC Berkeley's Class of '09. Highlights of his message: "Everybody got here today because somebody helped them," and "what you do does not define who you are." 5/25/09 - MissionLocal.org - Afred Vidales "Vignettes: Cesar Chavez Ave." Summary: Like many other Latin American immigrants, Rafael, who is homeless, finds survival in San Francisco more challenging with the arrival of an economic recession. 5/24/09 - Edmonton Journal - Chris Zdeb "Event connects Edmonton’s homeless with needed services" Summary: Edmonton, Alberta initiates a "homeless connect" modeled on San Francisco's. 5/22/09 - NewAmericaMedia.org - Chris Tamaru and Ann Bassette "Young and Homeless During the Recession" Summary: Story and video about a young girl's experiences trying to overcome a troubled past which included being homeless in San Francisco. 5/22/09 - Countercurrents.org - Garda Ghista "Who Is To Blame For The Tent People?" Summary: Short essay explores moral choices and homelessness. 5/21/09 - Penn Current - Heather A. Davis "On the Streets" Summary: Interview of Philippe Bourgois whose latest book “Righteous Dopefiend," describes his study of the lives of homeless drug addicts near his San Francisco home. 5/19/09 - SF Bay Guardian - Joe Sciarrillo "Dazed and confused: Marijuana and quality-of-life cases clog Newsom's Community Justice Court" Summary: The Community Justice Court, aka Homeless Court, is hearing a lot of personal use marijuana possession cases, something specifically discouraged by City law, and hears a lot of quality of life cases, instead of focusing on more serious offenses. 5/17/09 - The Chronicle - Meredith May "S.F. Central YMCA members sad it will close" Summary: The Shih Yu-Lang Central YMCA building in the Tenderloin neighborhood will close on June 30, 2009 to make way for homeless housing. A new health clinic funded and operated by the Department of Health will complement the new housing when renovation is complete (expected 2010). 5/15/09 - nbcbayarea.com - Seher Sikandar "Wrapping Up the SF Film Festival" Summary: Review of the documentary film "Empress Hotel" which tells stories of drug addicts and homeless persons in San Francisco. 5/13/09 - The Chronicle - Aileen Yoo "The Scavenger: Homeless shelter to be unveiled at Bay to Breakers" Summary: A modified tent for homeless use called EDAR Everyone Deserves A Home is being unveiled in San Francisco. A non-profit shelter in LA is ordering hundreds. 5/13/09 - The Chronicle - Kevin Fagan "Skid Row gone, but memories linger just around the corner" Summary: The SOMA area of 3rd and Howard used to be Skid Row 50 years ago, and Chron writer Art Hoppe would write about it. 5/12/09 - Beyond Chron.org - Randy Shaw "SPECIAL REPORT: San Francisco’s Request for Proposal/ Request for Qualifications Deception " Summary: Beyond Chron editor asserts that mayor Gavin Newsom allows bids for contracted services for housing the homeless through his Care Not Cash program to be rigged by letting incompetent outsiders to make judgments on them. 5/8/09 - KGO abc7news.com - Vic Lee "Homeless families demand affordable housing" Summary: With recession doubling the number of homeless families in San Francisco, homeless mothers storm the mayor's office seeking to meet with Gavin Newsom. Result: one of the mayor's top aides told the protesters, he'd get back to them. 5/8/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "City Insider: Homeless families demand support" Summary: Some homeless families protested at City Hall demanding more shelter and affordable housing for the 150-190 families currently on the wait list for family shelter. 5/3/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "A Care Not Cash success story" Summary: A one-time pimp and addict and CNC participant has turned his life around even with great odds stacked against him. 5/3/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "S.F. making strides to solve homeless problem" Summary: Care Not Cash program is credited with helping house the homeless, but still leaves people without enough money to live on. 4/29/09 - San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center - Bill Carpenter "City Hall..... Why are you CLOSING Homeless Services!!!" Summary: Homeless People brought their needs straight to San Francisco City Hall in order to receive some of the life sustaining services they would have to live without if proposed budget reductions are enacted by San Francisco public officials. Six-minute QT movie. 4/27/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "S.F. homeless population grew 2% in 2 years" Summary: The 2009 count showed 6,514 homeless in San Francisco, up 2% from 2007's count. 4/26/09 - The Chronicle - Evelyn Nieves "The Dalai Lama serves hope to SF homeless" Summary: The Dali Lama visited Martin de Porres House of Hospitality and spoke of homelessness among other topics. 4/16/09 - NewAmericaMedia.org - Charles Jones "Dope Fiend Landlords Thrive in the Housing Crisis" Summary: Youth comments about how illegal drug dealers exploit homeless persons in San Francisco. 4/9/09 - Christian Science Monitor - Christopher D. Cook "Amid recession, is San Francisco losing its heart?" Summary: San Francisco slices aid for the needy. Advocates cry foul, but others see a need to curb spending. 4/9/09 - The Examiner - Brent Begin "Library helping homeless patrons" Summary: The Main Library at the Civic Center is using different methods to address the homeless population using their facility. 4/9/09 - The Chronicle - CW Nevius "S.F. Justice Center - not all are on board" Summary: The Community Justice Center is still receiving criticism while hearing cases and trying to convince the public of its good. 3/26/09 - The Chronicle - Marisa Lagos "Advocates want stimulus cash used to avoid cuts" Summary: The Mayor's office is not committing to saving programs that have been cut due to the budget shortfalls, and advocates want the stimulus money used to save cut programs. 3/25/09 - SF Bay Guardian - Editorial "Saving SF's human services: Obama specifically stated that the FMAP cash should prevent a loss of services, somehow, Mayor Gavin Newsom doesn't see it that way" Summary: The Mayor's office is sending confusing signals as to how it will spend the Federal stimulus money, and many fear it won't be used to stop a loss of services. 3/24/09 - SF Weekly - Ashley Harrell "Gathering Storm: They pile up their stuff to the point of fire danger and rat infestation. A task force is taking on this nearly insurmountable problem." Summary: Hoarders and Clutters present problems for the SROs they live in, often resulting in evictions and health problems. 3/5/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "S.F.'s new community court opens" Summary: The Community Justice Center opened this week, but so far defendants aren't showing up. 2/28/09 - The Chronicle - CW Nevius "Homeless 'education' group not learning lesson" Summary: A group called Homeless Services Coalition asks for donations to help the homeless, and may only be giving a small percentage to actual charities, with some charities asking not to be associated with them. (Note: this group was also profiled in a Guardian article in 2007. 2/25/09 - SF Weekly - Herman Wong "Gimme Shelter: Musician once played for the homeless as charity. Now he is homeless." Summary: A musician who played piano at the shelter as charity lost his pharmaceutical company job and ended up staying at the same shelter as a client. 2/24/09 - SF Bay Guardian - Rebecca Bowe "No service area: Health and human services budget cuts will show on the streets" Summary: Major budget cuts are affecting Tenderloin Health, Mission Neighborhood Resource Center, SF General Hospital, and other critical homeless services. 2/21/09 - The Chronicle - CW Nevius "Homeless man turns successful entrepreneur" Summary: A homeless man was able to use small business programs and an agreeable corporate attorney to start a business that has now become profitable. 2/19/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "S.F. to get $19.8 million aid to homeless" Summary: Federal stimulus package has funding for homeless programs, including rent subsidies for homeless families of which there has been a noticeable increase. 2/12/09 - The Chronicle - CW Nevius "Eye care - needed by homeless and vets" Summary: Homeless participants at the latest Project Homeless Connect overwhelm providers with the need for eyeglasses, especially veterans. 2/4/09 - SF Weekly - Peter Jamison "Their Daily Bread" Summary: A soup kitchen run by nuns recently opened in the Tenderloin, and residents are upset that social do-good groups, especially religious ones, target the Tenderloin for their service for the poor, and attract undesirable elements into the neighborhood. 2/4/09 - SF Bay Guardian - Rebecca Bowe "Without a net - Newsom's budget: More hungry homeless people, more deaths at SF General" Summary: The Board of Supervisors and others are trying to come up with alternatives to the mayor's proposed cuts that will decimate emergency services. 2/1/09 - SF Examiner - Tiffany Maleshefski "Credo: Philip Mangano, advocate for homeless" Summary: Philip Mangano, executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, gets interviewed by the Examiner. 1/31/09 - The Chronicle - CW Nevius "Services too focused on the Tenderloin" Summary: CWN wonders if a high concentration of service providers in the Tenderloin is because there are a lot of homeless, or because the homeless go to the Tenderloin because of the number of service providers. 1/14/09 - SF Bay Guardian "The Hard Times Handbook: Free food, music, and movies. Cheap drinks, dates, and dining. Plus much, much more in our guide to surviving these tough times in style" Summary: Not really about homelessness, but they do mention SFHomeless.net on Page 4 of the online article. Thanks SFBG! 1/6/09 - The Chronicle - Heather Knight "City Insider: Homeless sweeps at Civic Center Plaza?" Summary: There are complaints of more aggressive government action against the homeless in Civic Center Plaza; also the Streets and Neighborhood committee presents its final recommendations to the mayor this week. 1/6/09 - The Chronicle - CW Nevius "City finds funds for money-saving program" Summary: Firefighter Niels Tangherlini runs the cost-effective HOME Team (Homeless Outreach and Medical Emergency) that helps inebriated homeless and cuts down expensive trips to the ER, but the mayor's office almost cut the funding despite saving lots of money for little money spent. Category:Media